Double Dog Double Pale Ale - Flying Dog Brewery

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

4.14/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a snifter.

A: Slightly hazy golden copper color with one-finger, foamy, creamy, off-white head that lasted a couple minutes and left a nice film. Fantastic lacing.

S: Caramel malt. Pine and citrus.

T: Moderate sweetness and moderate bitterness. Caramel malt, pine and citrus, like the nose. Alchohol was mostly unnoticable which was surprising.

M: Medium bodied with fizzy carbonation. Crisp and slightly dry.

O: A good imperial IPA. High ABV, but you couldn't tell from drinking it.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 00:52:29 | More by SolipsismalCat

PhantasIPA

Delaware

4.8/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

The color of this beer is dark gold. It poured from the bottle with a solid and heavy 1/2 inch head and left a heavy lacing against the glass. A moderate amount of carbonation can be seen in the beer.

Smells like very strong caramel sweetness followed by the pungent, heavy alcoholic scent. The barley and hope scent is mixed and the weakest of elements in the overall scent of the beer.

Taste is outstanding! Just like the smell, the sweetness is upfront (caramel, hint of darker brown sugar) followed by the alcohol, then the spices, barley and balancing hops of the beer.

The mouthfeel is very good as well. It is a strong beer so you are going to have the heavy alcoholic taste on your tongue, but the sweetness and the barley linger as well, creating a full flavored after-taste. Carbonation is not a factor as it is very subtle.

Overall this beer is fantastic. Strong and balanced, flavorful and unique.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 18:21:58 | More by PhantasIPA

ToughGuy

Delaware

4.49/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is my favorite beer in my favorite style (DIPA).

Poured into a Samuel Adams tulip glass, it has a three finger head, with a citrusy and a bit of a boozy aroma. The bitterness of the hops is somewhat mellowed by the sweetness of the malts, but the hop's bitterness, thankfully, win the battle. I find that the beer gets better as it warms.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 03:03:20 | More by ToughGuy

Greywulfken

New York

3.93/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: medium deep amber beer in a nonic pint, nice and clear, finger of tan head, some lacing

S: pretty standard fare:some sweet malts under the cloak of hoppage, mostly of the piney resinous sort

T: again, pretty standard stuff here - the malts were sweet, caramel-like, some butterscotch and toffee tones; the hop action was resinous and pine, not so much on the citric side - overall this was a fairly sweet-edged DIPA, but with a nice bitter finish

M: medium bodied, moderate carbonation; nice mix of sparkle and coating on the tongue, slightly tacky aftertaste

O: a serviceable DIPA, nothing to rave about but nothing to scoff at either; worth a try for the style fans and advocates

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 01:49:34 | More by Greywulfken

patre_tim

China

4.34/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A: Clear filtered amber, 3 finger yellowish head, moderate carbonation.

S: Citrus hops, floral, fresh fruit like watermelon, pine, sweet, cologne or perfume.

T: Sweet, fresh fruit, floral like a bouqet of flowers, perfume like obsession or something, bitter linger.

M: Syrupy, low carbonation.

O: Unique floral fragrant Imperial IPA. Really enjoying this beer. Balanced yet exteme in its display of floral and sweet and bitter aspects.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 04:54:41 | More by patre_tim

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.66/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

About a finger of head on a cloudy, dark straw colored body.
The aroma is a sharp lemon with grapefruit. Very citrusy.
The taste is bold bitterness beginning to end. There's a peek of sweetness at the beginning.
The texture is crisp with a thicker body, moderate carbonation.
It's a bold, hopped ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 03:52:13 | More by Fatehunter

Mic-Lee

3.93/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Transparent amber color. Nice lacing. A blast of malt and hops hits you as soon as you open the bottle. Hops up front but a strong malty background and the booze is there. Nice, full and consistent smell is of dried fruits and currants. Medium bitterness in the finish. Body is medium with substantial carbonation.

Overall: A very high alcohol content in this brew is hard to disguise, but it’s fairly well contained in this DPA. The flavor is nice, well-balanced and the bitterness isn’t overwhelming. A little too malty. A solid brew, but only if you’re in the mood for something strong.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 00:17:48 | More by Mic-Lee

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

4.2/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This one I find to be quite an oddball, but very interesting and quite tasty. it's really quite blowing my mind right now, as it's not anything like what I expected. But then beer cannot be judged by expectations alone so...

Nice looking, copper to tannish orange and clear with a nice off white head that lasted and left nice lacing.

It's about halfway between a malt-bomb IPA and an "imperial" pale ale (if such distinctions can really be counted on to have much meaning). I think "american strong ale" would have been a better category for this one. But it doesn't matter that much because it's a good beer no matter how it's categorized.

Aroma wise there's tons of malts, lots of hops, and a pungent earthy component.

The taste is hot with alcohol almost to the point of being "spicy," but I quite like it. I wasn't expecting such a strong brew when I popped the bottle! (also I was too lazy to look it up first, lol). It's really a malt-bomb of an IPA in many respects. Lots of bitterness from the hops, lots of hops flavor, but the most outstanding points to me are the malty flavors, which are considerable.

There's a kind of dry, woody finish like so much maris otter got overtaken with a hops spillage and then they dumped in more malts and just said "brew it anyway." Carbonation is middle of the road and appropriate.

Kind of like a good hoppy pale ale recipe that accidentally got doubled. Very enjoyable, one of my favorites from this brewery. I would definitely like to find this one again and buy an entire four (or six?) pack of it.

Not for the faint hearted, BTW. Bud light drinker's heads would asplode upon their first sip. Craft beer drinkers will enjoy it thoroughly.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 23:46:33 | More by AlCaponeJunior

CloudStrife

New York

3.98/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Pours a clear amber with a 1.5 finger mostly white head. Not too much visible carbonation or lacing. Good color and clarity.

S: Nice fresh hop smell, I get a lot of citrus too like lemon and grapefruit. Hints of booze.

T: Pretty hoppy up front, citrus like the aroma. Still a fair malt backing. Fairly hot with some strong alcohol Leaves a lingering skunky hop between sips.

M: Medium to full mouthfeel, sort of nectary and sticky. Alcohol doesnt really make this too hard to drink despite being so high.

Overall a damn strong pale ale. I like the fruitiness of the hop. Certainly a sipper for a nice relaxing night.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 01:42:06 | More by CloudStrife

stephenjmoore

Maryland

3.7/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Very light amber body with a thin white head that fades quickly. Somewhat transparent with carbonation bubbles coming up from the sides of the glass.

S- Some citrus/pine hop aromas along with an abundance of sweet bready malt aroma.

T- Very similar to the smell, hop character comes through in the way of pine along with some citrus, to compliment the deep malt flavor. Alcohol comes through towards the end of the taste, which is to be expected from such a high abv beer.

M- Medium carbonation, syrupy and definitely a sipper. Leaves some residue in the mouth after each taste.

O- Good, bold beer. Was a little more hop-forward when I had it on tap, but the bottle is solid too.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 23:48:10 | More by stephenjmoore

NoLeafClover44

Delaware

3.98/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into a standard pint. Bottled just over a week ago.

A - Pours copper with a thin off-white head. Perfect clarity. Pretty good tiered lacing on the glass.

S - Smells of citrus, bread, and floral hops. The 11.5% alcohol is apparent on the nose, but in a way it adds to the complexity. The aroma has a malt bill similar to a barleywine, surprising for such a fresh pale ale.

T - Initially sweet with molasses and bready malts. Citrus comes through in the middle followed by a big, bitter hop kick. The alcohol is warming on the throat. The hops and booze linger for a while on the palate.

M - The high alcohol gives this a slick feel. Good carbonation and a medium body.

O - They can call this beer a pale ale, but I'm not buying it. I think it is probably closer in flavor to an American Barleywine (think, fresh bigfoot) or at least a DIPA. The booze is a little bit hot, but I really enjoyed this as a sipper. Big hops accompany a complexity of malts. To me, Flying Dog is an underrated brewery and this is one of their better beers. This is one I grab regularly when I want just one or two that will get the job done.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 01:11:41 | More by NoLeafClover44

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

You always have to enjoy the artwork on the bottle before enjoying the suds by Flying Dog.

I poured this beer into a chalice glass with a tulip top, and the foam coming off the top was really minimal.

The smell is pretty malty. I get some hopping off the top. There isn't a lot of complexity to this bouquet.

The flavor has a lot of alcohol presence. You can tell that this is a strong beer. The after-taste falls off pretty quickly.

Overall this is a decent beer; not exceptional. It works well for any given day, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get ahold of this.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 19:37:58 | More by ummswimmin

troysoy2

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Finally managed to pick one of these up! I poured it into a pint glass and was impressed by a creamy white head that stuck around for the longest time. The body of the beer is deep amber with an orange tint to it.

The nose is both confectionery and in-your-face. Caramel, topped with piney, resiny hoppiness.

The taste is potent, but very drinkable, considering the 11.5% ABV... A creamy mouthfeel with a crisp finish supports the taste perfectly. At first, you get buttery toffee, caramel, and a hint of citrus, possibly grapefruit -- then Double Dog finishes with bitter pine and resiny hop oils; smoothly drawing the taste buds in, then Wham!

I don't know if I'd want to drink too many of these within a short period of time, but I'm a fan.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 05:33:02 | More by troysoy2

Tobe

2.98/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a golden amber color with a rich off white head. The head measures a full two finger width.

The aroma begins hoppy, I could smell the hops before the glass even came close to my face. Very sweet aroma from the hops. There is a slight buttery note to the nose.

The alcohol is there in the flavor, a slight burn follows. Astringent and bitter flavors are there. The mouthfeel is a lot of resin and grouped with the alcohol will kill your palette, however you will enjoy it.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 19:09:55 | More by Tobe

OneDropSoup

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a shaker pint: Soft golden-orange, transparent, with brass highlights under two fingers of lumpy, souffle head that leaves lots of sticky lacing.

Smells of soft citrus (orange, grapefruit) with a sweetness like custard, like a piney creamsicle. A little bit of bread crust or pie crust, some zest.

Big taste going on here: again, big citrus flavor that's mellowed around the edges, not acidic or tart, & blends into a baked good kind of sweetness. Lemon meringue pie, or orange cake, big, round flavor. A bracing bitterness shows up toward the finish, like pith or pine, but also blends nicely, even a little minty. And then you notice the booze, the heat that dries it out & rounds it even further. Fruity to sweet to bitter to warming flow seamlessly, forming an orb of flavor. Really good, encompassing a lot with no harsh edges.

Full-bodied & soft, gentle. I feel like it actually fills & expands in my mouth. And with as much bitterness & heat here, I don't feel like it's punishing my tongue.

Gotta say I'm a real fan of this. "Double Pale" is right on - it's gone none of the abrasiveness of an IPA & the malt plays such a prominent role here. The booze is definitely a big component as well, but it just melds so smoothly with the other notes. Maybe I was just in the mood for this, but this really hit the bullseye for me.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 16:07:51 | More by OneDropSoup

Greenmachine07

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A-light and clear, i would hesitate to say boarderline toasty looking

S-hops...yes hops, this was a great beer and i must have got it fresh. piney/resin and a good dose of hops

T-this is one of my favorite american double. This taste at first is hop bound and it is swept away by a slight malt finish that gives this beer a great balance/character.

O-this was a great beer and my only problem is the ABV% did not allow for more then afew before i had to move to lighter (6-8%) beer so i could stand the next morning.

This is one of my top doubles and it can stand up there with the heady toppers of the game and hold its own. i went back and bought a six of it to replace the two from my friend, this is one to try.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 00:35:07 | More by Greenmachine07

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz.

Pours a golden amber, slightly hazy, with a two inch yellowish head. Good retention.

Smells of caramel and floral hops. Some honey and clover as well.

Rich caramel and molasses malts, some maple syrup as well, combined with strong floral piney hops and some light spiced notes.

Medium to full body with light tingles of carbonation on the roof of the mouth, and a warming feeling going down.

Rich, potent, heavy sipper of a Double IPA, like a BW, quite good and enjoyable. Would definitely have again.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 23:47:50 | More by Cylinsier

TheSixthRing

California

3.65/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a clear, brilliant golden orange with a 2 finger head and good retention, resulting in a nice, sticky lace.

Smell - Aromas are caramel and yeasty bread, a bit of citrus hops and some grain alcohol notes.

Taste - Starts with some citric and raisin notes with a touch of caramel... unfortunately the alcohol heat shines through and eats away the potential for a deeper flavor.

Mouthfeel - Full bodied and slightly syrupy. Low in carbonation.

Overall - A beautiful looking beer with potential, but unfortunately saddled by the sheer dominance of the alcohol; there's simply not enough flavor to mask it. Probably won't buy again; there are better "imperial" beers out there.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 02:34:58 | More by TheSixthRing

BigPlay1824

New York

3.25/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed in a tulip glass

A: pours a hearty amber color that is just slightly hazy and has a small amount of tiny carbonation bubbles working their way through the brew, pouts with a finger of head that is light tan in color with some medium sized bubbles on top, lingers nicely before leaving spotty lacing
S: nice scent of cereal grains with a bit of malty depth to them and a slight tingle of alcohol
T: interesting complexity and depth, actually pretty much exactly what i had expected given the ABV and the brewery, begins with a taste of dark fruits like figs or raisins, then moves into a bit of sweetness, and finishes with a tiny amount of alcohol character and an interesting bitterness which im assuming is due to large amount of hops thrown in throughout the boil to counterbalance the alcohol intensity
M: thick and viscus, slight alcohol tingle, medium carbonation, leaves the mouth feeling sticky and dry
O: not the best beer ive ever had but i guess its not a terrible effort given the high ABV, pretty middle of the road, id go with something with a bit more flavor if i was gonna drink something with an ABV similar to this, perhaps the harpoon leviathan lineup

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 01:15:26 | More by BigPlay1824

flagmantho

Washington

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: rich, hazy orange hue with a moderate effervescence and two fingers of frothy ivory foam with a bit of an orange cast. Quite nice.

Smell: very sweet malt aroma with a mild but enticing cast of earthy and floral hops. A nice combo.

Taste: somewhat complex malt which is mostly sweet with some biscuity character in the background. Hops are floral and citrusy in character but are somewhat overwhelmed in flavor by the malt. Bitterness is quite high, especially early in the flavor. Not perfect, but quite tasty.

Mouthfeel: big body with a good level of carbonation yielding a silky, creamy mouthfeel. This guy is not only big in ABV, but big in body as well; bigger than most DIPAs I've tried.

Overall: strong but tasty, this is a nice sipper. It has a strong malt component that balances (perhaps over-balances) its hop presence and bitterness. I rather like it.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 04:32:25 | More by flagmantho

Johnnyfacelift

New York

3.95/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is an interesting beer "style" since you would think that a double pale ale would actually be an IPA, but I now understand the subtle differences between the two. They literally double the exact recipe (I'm guessing) of the pale ale which makes the beer a bigger beer but does not accentuate the hops either in the aroma or in the taste of the beer. It's balanced and leans toward the side of sweet specialty malt with a bit of roast character. There's a bit of haze to the beer and is a light amber color. Not a huge head but enough to lace the glass on the way down. The aroma is balanced between malt backbone, hops and alcohol... which is not overpowering. The beer is rich but not thick and syrupy, again quite balanced. Overall this is a great sipper that even the entry level beer lover can appreciate.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 01:03:26 | More by Johnnyfacelift

quasar77

California

5/5  rDev +26.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This beer, is remarkable!! At 11.5% ABV, it has an incredible taste.
At that alcohol %, one would think it would taste a lot like a barley wine. Well, that couldn't be farther from the truth. I highly recommend this beer. :o) This DBPA, in fact, EVERYTHING I've tasted from Flying Dog, has been REMARKABLE!! Looking forward to trying their better than 9% Porter!!!

P.S. BEER ADVOCATE, IS THE B E S T beer review site, on the Net!!

Thanks, BA!!!! :o)

Sully

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 23:00:10 | More by quasar77

colforbin73

California

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

whoa... this isn't just a double. it is a double double. they poured in tons of extra malt and hops for this. IBU has to be 100. this is a full-on assault. -- i think the comparison to DFH90 below is worthy. if you want a thick, heavy, ultra bitter IIPA, then look no further.

pours a dark orange/amber with thin white head, leaves a little lacing.

the smell is good and rich with maple and pine overtones. the taste follows suit: very full oily ale with a dominating hop presence. leaves a slick down your tongue and throat -- slight burn, more than slight really -- it drinks like a HALF WHISKEY.

this is a serious beer. proceed with caution.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 02:53:39 | More by colforbin73

SiriusBock

Virginia

3.78/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: light amber/dark straw color slight head, clung to the glass
S: was not as hoppy as I expected. First pour was of sweets, as he glass warmed up, all I could smell was grain, like a steeping kettle of mid-color grain
T: malty start, bitter finish. I was expecting more of a hop bite, or at least a distinctive hop to punch me in the face but not so much. The high alcohol content was masked. No hot tones for me, only a grain bomb.
M: smooth, but not cloying. Perfect balance of carbonation.

Overall, I enjoyed this beer l. You can't have many of them without hiring the floor, but I think it is a god competitor for DFH 90 minute

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 01:10:29 | More by SiriusBock

tdm168

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - orangish amber; quarter of an inch of foamy, white, dense head; great retention

S - bread, sweet, birthday cake, grapefruit

T - bready malt, citrus, floral, grapefruit, birthday cake, sugary sweetness, mild hop bitterness in the finish, strong alcohol warmth

M - very warm, smooth, medium to full bodied, well carbonated

This beer has great flavor even if a bit boozy. It has all the malty, hoppy characteristics of a solid, impressive DIPA. If you like strong, potent, full flavored DIPAs, you have to try this.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 03:52:07 | More by tdm168